Hama has added some bamboo wired and wireless keyboards and mice to its expanding EcoLine range, which already includes "liquid wood" mobile phone cases and laptop cases made from recycled PET bottles.
As we've already seen with the stunning Bambusa guitar from First Act and the ASUS Bamboo Series notebooks, bamboo is a very attractive material from which to make consumer products. It's also one of the fastest growing renewable resources, is stronger than some plastics and metals, releases more oxygen into the atmosphere than an equivalent area of trees and is the favored tasty treat of a certain black and white bear.
The new EcoLine bamboo additions from Hama are not manufactured using industrial machinery but rather rely on handmade craftsmanship. The wireless keyboard and mouse link to a computer via an included USB nano receiver (not made from bamboo) which operates over the 2.4 GHz frequency.
The keyboard has height adjustment for typing comfort, a battery status indicator and soft-touch keys that have engraved (rather than printed) letters. Four quick start buttons have been included above the numeric keypad. The mouse benefits from a high resolution optical sensor for precision cursor control.
The Hama Bamboo wireless multimedia keyboard is priced at €69 (US$86), while the bamboo wireless optical mouse carries a €29.99 (US$37) tag.
The wired versions are similarly gorgeous and benefit from shared features, but are of course powered by and physically connected to a computer or notebook by a USB cable. The keyboard costs €59 (US$74) and the mouse is €19.99 (US$25).
Hama's IFA booth also had a pair of bamboo computer speakers and a bamboo mouse mat to complete the eco-friendly peripheral package, although there were no details on price and availability for these products.
Source: Hama
